# Coolidor in the making



## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Okay, here's my next project. I retired an old wine refrig that went south. So, today I gutted it, took out motor and all other extraneous parts, and took a photo (See below).

I kind of feel like Da Vinci standing in front of a big chunk of marble. What do I do with it? 

I want to take my time and do a nice job. Anybody want to weigh in with some ideas? Those of you who have built these before, what were the things you really liked about yours? What mistakes did you make. What would you do differently if you did it over again?



The Doc


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## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

I did the same project with an old mini fridge (18x38x19). With the resulting holes, I used putty to fill them and covered the inside with athletic tape and the outside back with duct tape to keep the putty in place. Used athletic tape to make the inside look nice and white rather than the grey putty. Got some Spanish cedar and made shelves and line the bottom. Allowed for mucho airflow between the shelves. Added some 65% beads and it has been rock solid. I have about 15 boxes with room for about 15 more. Best of luck, it is a very easy project.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

jgros001 said:


> Got some Spanish cedar and made shelves and line the bottom. Allowed for mucho airflow between the shelves.


Where did you buy your Spanish cedar? On the web?

How many shelves did you make?

Got a photo to share of the finished product?

Thanks for the input.

The Doc


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## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

I got the cedar here: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?DeptID=1071&FamilyID=680

I made two shelves mainly becuase the old fridge had previously had two shelves and it was easier that way becuase there were slots to slide the boards. Two boards per shelf. Let the cedar acclimate to the room before you cut it. I let the cedar sit for two weeks before I cut it.

Sorry do not have any picks but will after the holidays when I get my digi camera.


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## CoventryCat86 (Oct 14, 2004)

I took a similar sized refrigerator and did NOTHING to it other than add a bowl with a 1/2 pound of 65% RH beads in it.

No need to remove the motor or the refrigeration mechanism because it's all on the OUTSIDE so it doesn't give you any additional cigar storage. Not only that, I can still use it as a refrigerator at some time in the future if I need to.

I did not line the interior with spanish cedar. I store most of my cigars in cedar cigar boxes. This makes storage simple and easier and the boxes retain humidity and provide enough of "that smell" you get with spanish cedar.

With all my wooden boxes, I probably have more surface area of cedar that if I had lined the interior surfaces.

I think lining with spanish cedar is a waste of time and money.


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## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

Good point with the cedar. I only used the cedar because it made the shelves look nicer. As far as removing the insides and wiring, I had to for space reasons, mine had the little freezer on top and it was taking up too much room and was an odd shape to keep in the fridge. No reason to keep for future use because the fridge wasn't working anyway.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Same with me. The motor went bad, so I took it out. Makes the whole unit lighter and easier to relocate if need be. 

What thickness did you buy in the cedar?

The Doc


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

CoventryCat86 said:


> I took a similar sized refrigerator and did NOTHING to it other than add a bowl with a 1/2 pound of 65% RH beads in it.


Where did you locate your beads? Bottom? Middle? Top?

I will probably use some cedar since I'm anal and need to make a bigger project out of it than I should. I like spending the time tinkering though, and it gives me an excuse to light up.

The Doc


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## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

I got 4 of: Cedar, Spanish, 1/4" x 4" x 36" - $6.99

At around $30 with shipping the cost is minimal.

I have three nylons with beads - about 1/4lb in each located on the top, middle and bottom.


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## ShawnP (Oct 18, 2005)

Doc that is going to be an awesome project. I cannot wait to see the finished product.

Take your time, think about what you will store in there ( as far as size boxes ). Are you going to put any singles in there? If so you could probably throw some nice cedar singles bins/shelves together also. Just a thought.


Anyway good luck and can't wait to see it.


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## Bubba -NJ (Dec 6, 2005)

I'm new to this jungle , I saw it mentioned in a thread on cigarsmokers . I've been smoking cigars for about 10 years , seriously for about 4 years . I have 2 desktop humis and 1 coolidor . Thought I'd check it out . I recently put a coolidor together , I made a shelf out of spanish cedar that I got from Ebay , bought some sc trays and a western digital caliber III hygrometer from bargainhumidors.com and 1 pound of beads from heartfeltindustries.com . The shelf I made makes it look more like a humidor and makes the space more usable for box storage underneath , singles storage up top in the trays . The cooler I'm using is a 70 qt. coleman 5 day cooler , silver . I feel the spanish cedar is a nice touch , both for scent and looks . I look forward to learning alot and even helping to educate . :u


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## IHT (Dec 27, 2003)

you could've just made an "edison-a-dor" with it.


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## colgate (Jan 18, 2005)

Dr. Stogie Fresh said:


> Same with me. The motor went bad, so I took it out. Makes the whole unit lighter and easier to relocate if need be.
> 
> What thickness did you buy in the cedar?
> 
> The Doc


Some hints.

1. put the beads in a nylon or bead bag. Don't put them in a dish. I get much more stable readings since I took my beads out of a dish and into a nylon. I would put a couple of pounds in there, 1 pound on the bottom and one on the top shelf.

2. Get a small pc fan and mount it up high to point downward and toward the back. Mate it to a cheap timer. Have it come on periodically. Good to have air flow on an automated basis. It levels out the humidity and I found without it there were dead spots where the humidity stayed too high. I compromised some sticks keeping them on the bottom without air flow. Moisture goes south.

3. You live in Nocal so I figure you don't need to compressor working. I couldn't get my without a compressor in the south. I keep it cooler than I did at first. Live and learn. 68-70 temp/60-65 rh.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Bubba -NJ said:


> I'm new to this jungle , I saw it mentioned in a thread on cigarsmokers . I've been smoking cigars for about 10 years , seriously for about 4 years . I have 2 desktop humis and 1 coolidor . Thought I'd check it out . I recently put a coolidor together , I made a shelf out of spanish cedar that I got from Ebay , bought some sc trays and a western digital caliber III hygrometer from bargainhumidors.com and 1 pound of beads from heartfeltindustries.com . The shelf I made makes it look more like a humidor and makes the space more usable for box storage underneath , singles storage up top in the trays . The cooler I'm using is a 70 qt. coleman 5 day cooler , silver . I feel the spanish cedar is a nice touch , both for scent and looks . I look forward to learning alot and even helping to educate . :u


Yo Bubba,

Do you have any pictures that you can share of the finished product?

The Doc


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

colgate said:


> Some hints.
> 
> 1. put the beads in a nylon or bead bag. Don't put them in a dish. I get much more stable readings since I took my beads out of a dish and into a nylon. I would put a couple of pounds in there, 1 pound on the bottom and one on the top shelf.
> 
> ...


Great input colgate! Thanks.

The Doc


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

IHT said:


> you could've just made an "edison-a-dor" with it.


Jeesh! That thing is cool. 

That is the cadillac. I'm afraid mine will be the Hugo by comparison.

Nevertheless, the standard has been set.

The Doc


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## Bubba -NJ (Dec 6, 2005)

Dr. Stogie Fresh said:


> Yo Bubba,
> 
> Do you have any pictures that you can share of the finished product?
> 
> The Doc


Here's the pictures - I think , haven't done this before


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Bubba -NJ said:


> Here's the pictures - I think , haven't done this before


Very nice! Clean-looking. Did you glue or nail your shelving together?

What kind of bags are you using for your beads?

Thanks,

The Doc


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## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

Let's try this. Sorry if the pictures are blurry...took 'em with a camera phone.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

jgros001 said:


> Let's try this. Sorry if the pictures are blurry...took 'em with a camera phone.


Nice! Holds quite a few boxes I see, and I like the camafloging on the outside. I was working on my work in progress tonight. Will post pictures soon.

The Doc


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Yesterday I ordered some Spanish cedar. I didn't get too much and I'm still not exactly sure what I will do with it when I get it.

In the meantime I bought some inexpensive 1/4 inch mahogany plywood and lined the refrig (see photo). I used the same screw holes that formerly held the shelf brackets in place.

More later.

The Doc


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## ShawnP (Oct 18, 2005)

Dr. Stogie Fresh said:


> Yesterday I ordered some Spanish cedar. I didn't get too much and I'm still not exactly sure what I will do with it when I get it.
> 
> In the meantime I bought some inexpensive 1/4 inch mahogany plywood and lined the refrig (see photo). I used the same screw holes that formerly held the shelf brackets in place.
> 
> ...


That is some nice clean work you did there Doc. Good job. I cannot wait to see the finished product my friend, making me want to run out and MOD something into a big humidor LOL


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## Bubba -NJ (Dec 6, 2005)

Dr. Stogie Fresh said:


> Very nice! Clean-looking. Did you glue or nail your shelving together?
> 
> What kind of bags are you using for your beads?
> 
> ...


Well , first I ripped the wood to size from larger stock (pieces about 30" long and 1-1/2" thick) down to about 1/2" x 3/4" x 30" . Then after I cut pieces to size I laid them out , pre-drilled (to prevent splitting) , glued and screwed them together with 5/8" x #4 size screws . Finished up with a good sanding all around . I figured the cedar would help with the stability of the RH . Eventually I'm going to make some odd sized trays to maximize the storage space . The trays I'm using came from Bargainhumidors.com , I believe they've dropped the price since I bought mine ($9.99 each) . Good luck with your project and post some pics when your done please . The bags I'm using are fromKitchen Kapers , "Bouquet de Garni" bags although I'm not really happy with the bags . I'm looking for an alternative . :u


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Bubba -NJ said:


> The trays I'm using came from Bargainhumidors.com , I believe they've dropped the price since I bought mine ($9.99 each) . Good luck with your project and post some pics when your done please.


Cool! I just orderd a tray: it cost $8.49. I will keep posting updates as I progress on this project.

Thanks for your help.

The Doc


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## Bubba -NJ (Dec 6, 2005)

Dr. Stogie Fresh said:


> Cool! I just orderd a tray: it cost $8.49. I will keep posting updates as I progress on this project.
> 
> Thanks for your help.
> 
> The Doc


Always glad to help . :u


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## mels95yj (Jun 4, 2005)

I also have a Haier wine cooler like IHT, just not as big. Another option, if you don't want all the wood, is to buy and cut closet shelving. It makes it a little easier to mount a computer fan, which I recommend. Most have their fan on a timer, but mine is on 24/7. The shelf is about in the middle. I have the fan mounted on the back of the shelf. I keep a little over a pound of beads underneath it. No problems so far. I have two remote sensors inside various boxes. They never vary more than 1% from each other. No matter how many beads you get, I would divy them up to a couple of different nylons. I've thought about adding some cedar to the bottom, but things are working well now. Here's mine.

Mel


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

mels95yj said:


> I also have a Haier wine cooler like IHT, just not as big. Another option, if you don't want all the wood, is to buy and cut closet shelving. It makes it a little easier to mount a computer fan, which I recommend. Most have their fan on a timer, but mine is on 24/7. The shelf is about in the middle. I have the fan mounted on the back of the shelf. I keep a little over a pound of beads underneath it. No problems so far. I have two remote sensors inside various boxes. They never vary more than 1% from each other. No matter how many beads you get, I would divy them up to a couple of different nylons. I've thought about adding some cedar to the bottom, but things are working well now. Here's mine.
> 
> Mel


Nice photo. You seem to have the right formula between the beads and fan, etc. Interesting configuration, putting the beads below the fan, which would convect the moisture with air coming right off the fan (I'm assuming you have the fan pointed at the beads).

I am going to end up using an Oasis, since my nephew had one he wasn't using and gifted it to me.

Thanks for sharing.

The Doc


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Not much to report tonight. I just plugged the holes in the back of the fridge. See attached photos.

For the large hole, I cut out a round piece of styrofoam using the foam that my laptop computer came in. It was about 1 inch thick, which was perfect. It fit very snugly and I put some silicon around the seams when finished.

The smaller hole (not pictured) was made by the place where they put a carbon filter. I removed the carbon and then slid the filter back in place and sealed with silicon.

The Doc


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Here is the next installment on my refrigerator humidor project.

I bought some Spanish cedar and made a pallet that is sitting on 1 x 4 boards. You will notice from the photo that it creates a shelf. I hope to build a drawer for singles below that shelf. We'll see how that idea goes.

I also added a cedar shelf at the back of the humidor, which will be where I will put my Oasis humidifier.

Finally, I put up a box lid, just for show.

If you have any other ideas or comments, please send them my way. I have received some great ideas so far.

The Doc


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## Jkbd33 (Jun 22, 2005)

Looking good that is going to be awesome.


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## Ivory Tower (Nov 18, 2005)

IHT said:


> you could've just made an "edison-a-dor" with it.


That thing is one badass coolidor. nice. what kind of wood is that in there.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Well, I am about 99 percent complete with this project. Today I received a cedar tray that cost about $8.50 and I situated it underneath the cedar palette. I put a cedar facing on it to dress it up. 

I also received my Cigar Oasis XL Plus, a gift from my nephew. Right now, I am letting the Cigar Oasis run to season the humidor. I'll let it season for a couple of days and see where the humidity falls. It could be that I might need more humidifier power, not sure yet.

I post more when I get to the point of filling the humi.

The Doc


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## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

Looks great...very nice work.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

After conditioning the wood in the humidor for a couple of days, I have started to stock the humi with boxes. There are 12 boxes in the photo, nothing in the pull out tray yet. It's just less than 2/3 full at this point. Still room for plenty.

The Doc


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## Mando (Dec 8, 2005)

Nice work Doc ! Gots some class to it . I can see this project coming soon to a den near me  

Mando...


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## txmatt (May 22, 2004)

Bill has it here,

A bunch of people spend time and money lining Coolidors with cedar. All you need to store cigars perfectly is a relatively airtight container, humidity beads, and cigar boxes.

A cedar lining is pretty to look at but I doubt it does anything for the cigars. That said your coolidor looks very nice Stogie Fresh.

-Matt-



CoventryCat86 said:


> I took a similar sized refrigerator and did NOTHING to it other than add a bowl with a 1/2 pound of 65% RH beads in it.
> 
> No need to remove the motor or the refrigeration mechanism because it's all on the OUTSIDE so it doesn't give you any additional cigar storage. Not only that, I can still use it as a refrigerator at some time in the future if I need to.
> 
> ...


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

txmatt said:


> Bill has it here,
> 
> A bunch of people spend time and money lining Coolidors with cedar. All you need to store cigars perfectly is a relatively airtight container, humidity beads, and cigar boxes.
> 
> ...


Just a reminder, I did not line my wine cooler humidor with cedar, I used mahogany, it cost about $3.00.

Further, however, I do feel there is a good reason to line coolers with a porous wood like mahogany or cedar. Porous woods help keep the humidity levels from changing rapidly and drastically. Whenever you open up a humidor, the humidity escapes. When you have a large humidor, a large volume of humidity escapes and must be replenished. The wood allows this to happen quickly by releasing stored humidity back into the inner box area. Second, cooler liners have a tendency to sweat, more so at cooler temperatures, and again the wood liner helps to absorb extra humidity.

Also, cedar, which is aromatic, can impart a nice smell to the inside of your box and to the cigars. This is why every cigar manufacturer stores their cigars in cedar bins prior to shipping.

Though I used mahogany for the lining, I used cedar for the shelf and cigar drawer.

The Doc


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## ShawnP (Oct 18, 2005)

WTG Doc that turned out really nice. I like the look and function of that unit.


Very nice


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## Cartierusm (Jan 25, 2005)

Hey Dr. Nice work, where in Norcal are you located, I'm here too. First off you're right about having a porous wood to absorb moisture to keep the environment stable. Second, which I hate to mention because it seems as though you have been spending time building your humidor, but you can't use regular plywood in a humidor. I've been building custom high end humidors most of my life and I've done tons of research and made million mistakes. The problem with regular plywood is it will impart a funny smell and flavor to your cigars because regular plywood is made withe formaldehyde. If you are located in Norcal I can help you out. I have tons of spanish cedar, low sap content and a full shop to build you some panels.

Also living in the SF Bay Area we do get high temps. I finally built myself a temp controlled unit becasue it was getting pretty hot this year. So if anyone else wants to build a humidor out of a fridg that's still working, let me know and i'll give you my plans for converting it to work as a humidor.

Check out my latest humidor for myself...tried to find the old post but it's no where to be found.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Cartierusm said:


> Second, which I hate to mention because it seems as though you have been spending time building your humidor, but you can't use regular plywood in a humidor. I've been building custom high end humidors most of my life and I've done tons of research and made million mistakes. The problem with regular plywood is it will impart a funny smell and flavor to your cigars because regular plywood is made withe formaldehyde.


Good call. I didn't even think about that. I think you are right about the plywood. Though I haven't noticed any smells yet, it may be just right around the corner. As soon as I notice anything funny, I will remove the panels. I may have to purchase some cedar sheets. Nothing funny about bad smells in the humi. Wished I lived closer to you, I'm in Atascadero (near San Luis Obispo).

Also, as you are probably already aware, cutting the panels is not an exact science since the inside box of the cooler is bowed. I had to freewheel my cuts to conform to the curvature of the box.

Thanks for the wisdom.

The Doc


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## IHT (Dec 27, 2003)

Cartierusm said:


> Check out my latest humidor for myself...tried to find the old post but it's no where to be found.


if you posted it sometime between July 7th and Sep 9th, it would have been lost to "the great CS crash of '05".
i remember your post though.


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## IHT (Dec 27, 2003)

Ivory Tower said:


> That thing is one badass coolidor. nice. what kind of wood is that in there.


there is no wood in there, except for the boxes themselves.

read what CoventryCat said earlier. most ppl i know, when they make a cooler-dor, or in my case, edision-a-dor (wine chiller turned humi), they don't add any spanish cedar. they leave the cigars in their boxes, maybe have 1 small tray for singles, and that's enough cedar to keep humidity steady. of course, if you have the right amount of beads and an airtight seal, you're good to go.


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## croatan (Mar 23, 2005)

IHT said:


> there is no wood in there, except for the boxes themselves.
> 
> read what CoventryCat said earlier. most ppl i know, when they make a cooler-dor, or in my case, edision-a-dor (wine chiller turned humi), they don't add any spanish cedar. they leave the cigars in their boxes, maybe have 1 small tray for singles, and that's enough cedar to keep humidity steady. of course, if you have the right amount of beads and an airtight seal, you're good to go.


 That's what I did. I pulled one singles tray out of an old humidor and filled the rest of the refrigerator with boxes and beads. It works great.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

I wanted to give a final followup to my progress in developing a coolidor out of an old wine refrigerador. The whole thing is up and running and seems to be working great. Of course, time will tell.

I finished off the outside with some stickers bought from Cartierusm. Nice work dude! Check the photos. 

I've got about 15 boxes of cigars in it now and you can see that there's still room for more. 

It was a fun project! I recommend it for those who, like me, may have a bit too much time on their hands and want to experience the joy of crafting their own humidor.

The Doc


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## Cartierusm (Jan 25, 2005)

Looks GOOD!!


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## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

Sweet coolerdor, nice work


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